An official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has condemned the growing crackdown on civil society in Azerbaijan.

Isabel Santos, the chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Questions, said in a August 1 statement she was shocked at developments in recent days in Azerbaijan.

Santos pointed to Azerbaijani authorities barring human rights activist Rasul Jafarov from leaving the country and "the clearly politicized charges against [rights activists] Leyla Yunus and her husband."

Santos added, "With this latest round of attacks on the country’s civil society, Azerbaijan is making a mockery of its stated aspirations to become a modern, democratic state."

Santos concluded, "The fact that these and other disturbing developments have come less than a month after Baku hosted the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Annual Session makes them all the more shameful."